The Boeing Company

Gary E Miller

Richard Neal Bostwick

David N Rasmussen

Joseph M Baskin

William O Price

Wayne Wiesner

Kirk Douglas Skaggs

Mark Richard Davis

James P Grady

Sperry H Goodman

An antenna may include an enclosure formed by a front wall and a back wall opposite to the front wall, and a front face and a back face opposite to the front face. Both the front face and the back face extend between the front wall and the back wall to form a cavity within the enclosure. The enclosure further includes a slot formed in the front face to form a cavity backed slot. A radio frequency (RF) connector is mounted in the front wall. A shaped feed line is mounted within the cavity and is electrically connected to the RF connector to transmit and receive RF energy. The shaped feed line extends across the slot to couple the RF energy between the slot and the shaped feed line. The shaped feed line has a predetermined structure to substantially reduce an electric field strength to improve power handing of the antenna.

High power, low profile, broadband antenna

An antenna aperture for mounting on the outside mast structure of a submarine is disclosed. The antenna aperture is designed to withstand hydrostatic pressure cycles as would be experienced by a submarine. The antenna is constructed of a highly corrosion resistant housing upon which a wide angle impedance (WAIM) cover designed to meet antenna RF requirements is integrated.

Submarine qualified antenna aperture

A method and apparatus for determining a spatial position of interest in an assembly is disclosed. In one embodiment, the method comprises the steps of determining a reference position of reference unit; moving the reference unit from the reference position to the first spatial position; inertially measuring a displacement of the reference unit while the reference unit is unilluminated by an illuminator; and determining the first position from the reference position, illuminator energy reflected from the reference unit, and the inertially measured displacement of the reference unit.

Handheld coordinate reference system

A conformal phased array antenna and associated method of repairing the antenna are provided. The antenna has individual subassemblies or line replaceable units such that the antenna can be repaired without completely removing the entire antenna. The antenna generally includes a planar antenna subassembly including an array of RF modules disposed in a reference plane. The antenna also typically has a contoured waveguide subassembly including a contoured aperture honeycomb structure. The contoured aperture honeycomb structure defines a number of passages that are in communication with respective RF modules. The exterior surface of the contoured aperture honeycomb structure that faces away from the planar antenna subassembly is contoured such that at least portions of this surface are at an oblique angle with respect to the reference plane. This contoured surface may advantageously be shaped to match the contour of the surface of the structure to which the antenna is mounted.

Comformal phased array antenna and method for repair

A method for determining the phase delay of microwave energy passing through a dielectric material, and for determining values related to the dielectric constant for microwave circuit boards. Phase delay is determined by positioning a pair of transducers adjacent different surfaces of the dielectric material, and injecting microwave energy at a certain frequency along a path through the material from the first transducer to the second transducer. The frequency of microwave radiation is that frequency at which S.sub.11 and S.sub.22 for the transducers are both less than a selected amount. Where the dielectric material is a conductively surfaced microwave circuit board, the path through the material is from one edge of the board to another edge through the plane of the board. Microwave circuit boards may be tested by determining values related to the dielectric constant for a plurality of such paths through the board, the paths consisting of a first group of mutually parallel paths and a second group of mutually parallel paths oriented to intersect the paths of the first group. For each path, measurements are made at the frequency or frequencies determined as described above. Iterative methods are also provided for estimating such values for areas of the microwave circuit board consisting of the intersection of one path from each group.

Method of testing dielectric materials

A fixed pitch wind turbine rotor (18) is teeter mounted (76, 78, 80) onto a low speed input shaft (44) which is connected to the input (58) of a step-up transmission (46). The output (48) of the transmission (46) is connected to a rotary pole amplitude modulated induction machine (42) which is operable as a generator at a plurality of discreet speeds of rotation and is also operable as a startup motor for the rotor. A switch (45) responsive to the rotational speed of the wind turbine rotor switches the generator from one speed of operation to the other. The rotor hub (72) and the inner body portions (71) of two blades (68, 70), which extend radially outwardly in opposite directions from the hub (72), are constructed from steel. The outer end portions (73) of the blade (68, 70) are constructed from a lighter material, such as wood, and are both thinner and narrower than the remainder of the rotor. The outer end section (73) of each blade (68, 70) includes a main body portion and a trailing edge portion (104) which is hinge-connected to the main body portion. Each blade (68, 70) includes a centrifugal force operated positioning means (98, 100) which normally holds the drag brake section (104) in a retracted position, but operates in response to a predetermined magnitude of centrifugal force to move the drag brake (104) section into its deployed position. Each blade has an airfoil cross section and each blade (68, 70) has a plus twist inner portion adjacent the hub (72) changing to first a zero twist and then a minus twist as it extends radially outwardly from the hub (72).

Growing community of inventors

Auburn, WA, United States of America

Gary E Miller